Post by petrolino on Apr 14, 2018 22:22:48 GMT
The mystery thriller 'Berlin Express' is based on an original story by Curt Siodmak. It concerns a group of train passengers brought together by their decision to search for fellow passenger Dr. Bernhardt (Paul Lukas) when he goes missing.
'Berlin Express' is a convoluted thriller with plenty of twists and turns that deals with counterfeit traitors and international espionage in Allied-occupied Germany during the tense aftermath of the 2nd World War. These are some people you need to know ...
Director Jacques Tourneur introduces his central characters with a tracking shot that observes activity in different compartments on a train, a technique similar to one used by Alfred Hitchcock to scan an apartment block in 'Rear Window' (1954). The station platform in liberated France bustles with life and crackles with atmosphere. Steam circulates and eventually pushes out once the train is in motion. On board the train, cigarette smoke has a hypnotic effect while pipe smoke is more elusive. Smoking remains an essential part of the film's make-up throughout, affecting style, atmosphere and plot.
I've always liked 'Berlin Express' ever since I first saw it; I feel it's a bit underappreciated among director Jacques Tourneur's output. One of the more fascinating aspects is that it's partially shot on location among the rubble of Frankfurt and Berlin, major cities decimated by war. The story begins in Tourneur's homeland, France, by providing an educational bit on Parisian bureaucracy and the important work carried out by the Deuxieme Bureau. The next section is on board the train. Characters later disperse in Germany. There's a great set-piece at a nightclub where Maja The Mind Reader (Marle Hayden) is performing with her pet clown and Tourneur mounts a cracking finale. The film is said to have been a key influence on Jerzy Kawalerowicz's mysterious tone poem 'Night Train' (1959) and Alain Robbe-Grillet's tantalising crime mystery 'Trans-Europ-Express' (1966).
'Actual scenes in Frankfurt and Berlin were photographed by authorisation of the United States Army of Occupation, the British Army of Occupation, the Soviet Army of Occupation.'
Robert Ryan & Merle Oberon
Robert Ryan & Merle Oberon
'Berlin Express' is a convoluted thriller with plenty of twists and turns that deals with counterfeit traitors and international espionage in Allied-occupied Germany during the tense aftermath of the 2nd World War. These are some people you need to know ...
Robert J. Lindley (Robert Ryan) - American agricultural advisor from the 'Gem City', Quincy, Illinois.
Lucienne Mirabeau (Merle Oberon) - French political activist from Lyon.
Dr. Bernhardt (Paul Lukas) - German scientist from Berlin.
Henri Perrot (Charles Korvin) - French banker from Paris.
James Sterling (Robert Coote) - British teacher from Liverpool.
Maxim Kiroshilov (Roman Toporow) - Soviet soldier from Moscow.
Otto Franzen (Fritz Kortner) - German businessman from Frankfurt.
'Use Your Head' - Mary Wells
Lucienne Mirabeau (Merle Oberon) - French political activist from Lyon.
Dr. Bernhardt (Paul Lukas) - German scientist from Berlin.
Henri Perrot (Charles Korvin) - French banker from Paris.
James Sterling (Robert Coote) - British teacher from Liverpool.
Maxim Kiroshilov (Roman Toporow) - Soviet soldier from Moscow.
Otto Franzen (Fritz Kortner) - German businessman from Frankfurt.
'Use Your Head' - Mary Wells
Director Jacques Tourneur introduces his central characters with a tracking shot that observes activity in different compartments on a train, a technique similar to one used by Alfred Hitchcock to scan an apartment block in 'Rear Window' (1954). The station platform in liberated France bustles with life and crackles with atmosphere. Steam circulates and eventually pushes out once the train is in motion. On board the train, cigarette smoke has a hypnotic effect while pipe smoke is more elusive. Smoking remains an essential part of the film's make-up throughout, affecting style, atmosphere and plot.
"1948's 'Berlin Express' brings us back to focus on the talented director Jacques Tourneur, here entrusted with the first American studio film to be shot in occupied Germany. The movie bears the liberal imprint of RKO production head Dore Schary at a time when the Iron Curtain was closing and fear and distrust were mounting between East and West. In predictable "socially conscious" fashion, an international group of travelers must work together to rescue a kidnapped diplomat, here seen as the only hope for a united and peaceful postwar Germany.
Given that framework, 'Berlin Express' is a taut thriller that assumes a level of audience intelligence unheard of today; aside from some basic facts given in a narration it is assumed that we can figure out what nationality people are and follow a fairly straightforward but cleverly told mystery tale. The location shooting in Paris, Frankfurt and Berlin is breathtaking, with camera genius Lucien Ballard set loose in cities reduced to bombed-out stone ruins."
- Glenn Ercikson, DVD Savant
"Berlin Express has stylistic elements of the German "Trümmerfilm" ("rubble film"), like Die Mörder sind unter uns (The Murderers Are Among Us) (1946). The German rubble films used the war-ravaged backdrops that were plentiful in German cities heavily bombed during the war. Berlin Express doesn't have the same gravitas or overwhelming sense of tragedy as the rubble films, but the location footage gives it a sense of authenticity not found in most run-of-the-mill thrillers."
- Adam Lounsberry, Film Noir Of The Week
Given that framework, 'Berlin Express' is a taut thriller that assumes a level of audience intelligence unheard of today; aside from some basic facts given in a narration it is assumed that we can figure out what nationality people are and follow a fairly straightforward but cleverly told mystery tale. The location shooting in Paris, Frankfurt and Berlin is breathtaking, with camera genius Lucien Ballard set loose in cities reduced to bombed-out stone ruins."
- Glenn Ercikson, DVD Savant
"Berlin Express has stylistic elements of the German "Trümmerfilm" ("rubble film"), like Die Mörder sind unter uns (The Murderers Are Among Us) (1946). The German rubble films used the war-ravaged backdrops that were plentiful in German cities heavily bombed during the war. Berlin Express doesn't have the same gravitas or overwhelming sense of tragedy as the rubble films, but the location footage gives it a sense of authenticity not found in most run-of-the-mill thrillers."
- Adam Lounsberry, Film Noir Of The Week
Merle Oberon & Paul Lukas
'I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine' - The Ronettes
'I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine' - The Ronettes
I've always liked 'Berlin Express' ever since I first saw it; I feel it's a bit underappreciated among director Jacques Tourneur's output. One of the more fascinating aspects is that it's partially shot on location among the rubble of Frankfurt and Berlin, major cities decimated by war. The story begins in Tourneur's homeland, France, by providing an educational bit on Parisian bureaucracy and the important work carried out by the Deuxieme Bureau. The next section is on board the train. Characters later disperse in Germany. There's a great set-piece at a nightclub where Maja The Mind Reader (Marle Hayden) is performing with her pet clown and Tourneur mounts a cracking finale. The film is said to have been a key influence on Jerzy Kawalerowicz's mysterious tone poem 'Night Train' (1959) and Alain Robbe-Grillet's tantalising crime mystery 'Trans-Europ-Express' (1966).
